Shrapnel.



No. 785,285. PATENTED MAR. 21, 1905.

A. TWRATZKE.

SHRAPNEL.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 2. 1904.

all/

UNITED STATES Patented March 21, 1905.

PATENT EEicE.

ALFRED WRATZKE, OF RUTTENSCHEID, NEAR ESSEN-ON-THE-RUHR, GERMANY,ASSIGNOR TO FRIED. KRUPP AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT, OF ESSEN-ON-THE-RUHR,GERMANY.

SHRAPNEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 785,285, dated March21. 1905.

Application filed May 2, 1904:. Serial No. 206,046.

To (LZZ whmn'it may concern.-

, Be it known that I, ALFRED WRATZKE, a subject of the Emperor ofGermany, and a resident of Ri'ittenscheid, near Essen-on-the- Ruhr,Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shrapnel,of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to shrapnel, and especially to the kindconstructed with a base-chamber and having a smoke-producing substancein the space surrounding the fire-tubev The object of the invention isto increase the production of smoke in such a shrapnel. I11 this classof shrapnel it has heretofore been the custom to provide in thefire-tube or in-the driving-disk a number of openings, through which theignition of the smokeproducing substance is effected. However, whencertain smoke-producing substances are used-such, for instance, ascolophony the desired efiect is very poorly obtained by means of suchopenin s. The reason for this is that when fire-tu e openings are usedthe smoke-producing substance is partly melted by the igniting-flameeffecting the ignition of the chamber charge. Consequently thesmoke-producing substance does not completely burn, and whendriving-disk openings are used only that portion of the smoke-producingsubstance is burned that is immediately in. front of the driving-disk.The present invention does away with these drawbacks by preventing theflame which ignites the chamber charge from reaching the spacesurrounding the fire-tube and by causing the bursting of the fire tubeby the chamber charge, to accomplish which results portions of thefire-tube are weakened.

In the annexed drawings, Figure l is a longitudinal section of abase-chamber shrapnel in which the smoke producing substance serves tosupport the shot. Fig. 2 is a side view of the fire-tube on a largerscale. Fig. 3 is a section on line 3 3, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a longitudinalsection of another embodiment of the fire-tube and Fig. 5 is a sectionon line 5 5, Fig. 4.

The shrapnel illustrated in Fig. 1 is, with the exception of thefire-tube, of known construction. A is the body; B, the chamber chargeO, the driving-disk; D, the smoke-projducing substance, (for instance,colophony,) which also serves to support the shot E. F is the casing ofthe mouth-opening which receives the fuse. (Indicated by dotted lines.)The fire-tube G engages the driving-disl': C and the casing F and isfilled with hollow cylind-rical powder bodies H. i

In the form of construction shown in Figs. 1 to 3 the fire-tube isprovided with four recesses extending approximately one-half 1ts lengthat its end near the driving-disk, which recesses are formed bylongitudinal grooves g, the depth of which is less than the thickness01? the fire-tube wall. By this arrangement the igniting-flame, which isincreased by the powder bodies I-I, ignites the chamber charge B withoutpenetrating 1nto the space surrounding the fire-tube, and when thechamber charge has been ignited the content of the shrapnel is drivenoutward through the medium of the driving-disk C. At the same time theexplosive gases under high tension enter the fire-tube G and burst thetube at the places weakened by the grooves g, so that the fire of theexploding chamber charge can thus exert a greater effect on thesmoke-producing substance, and a greater smoke production is obtained.

The fire-tube shown in Figs. 4 and 5 consists of two tubes K and L,arranged one within the other. The inner tube L is provided withlongitudinal slots Z, while the outer tube K has thin walls withoutweakenings. It is evident that the effect of a shrapnel provided withsuch a fire-tube is the same as that of the shrapnel above described.

Obviously the recesses in the wall of the fire-tube could be extendedover the whole length thereof or provided on that end of the tube nextthe mouth-opening casing without departing from the scope of theinvention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. In a shrapnel,the combination with the charge at the base of the shell, and thechamber containing smoke-producing substance interposed between thecharge and the fuse opening, oi a fire-tube in said chamber havingrecesses producing weakened portions therein.

2. In a shrapnel, the combination with the charge at the base of theshell, and the chambcr containing s1nuke-producing substance interposedbetween the charge and the fuseopening, of an. imperforate tubeextending through said chamber and having its wall redueed in thicknessin places to weaken the tube.

3. In a shrapnel, the combination with the charge at the base of theshell, and the chamber containing smoke-producing substance interposedbetween the charge and the fuseopening, ol a iiretube extending throughsaid chamber, formed with a longitudinal groove providing a weakenedportion therein.

4. In a shrapnel, the combination with the charge at the base of theshell, and the chamber containing smoke-producing substance interposedbetween the charge and the fuseopening, of a fire-tube extending throughsaid chamber, and having a weakened portion near one end.

5. In a shrapnel, the combination with the charge at the base of theshell, and the cham ber containing smoke-producing substance interposedbetween the charge and the fuseopenmg, of a lire-tube extending throughsaid chamber and having weakened portions formed by longitudinal groovesnear one end.

6. In a shrapnel, the combination with the charge at the base of theshell, and the chamber containing smoke-producing substance interposedbetween the charge and the fuseopening, of a lire-tube extending throughsaid chamber constructed of a plurality of conforming members and havingslots in one member covered by the other member.

7. In a shrapnel, the combination with the charge at the base of theshell, and the charm b'er containing smoke-producing substanceinterposed between the charge and the fuseopening, of a iire-tubeextending through said chamber and constructed ol a plurality ofconforming members, one of which is slotted.

The foregoing specification signed at Dusseldorf, Germany, this 13thdayol April, 1904-.

ALFRED W HAT) K E.

In presence of-- PETER LIEBER, WILLIAM: ESSENWEIN.

